The Wichita and Affiliated Tribes' R.I.S.E. program
recently donated uniforms for Anadarko Little League Football
teams' age 10 divisions. These include the second division teams of
"Purple" and "Gold." R.I.S.E. presented the football uniforms
during the teams' September 5 and September 7 practices.

The jerseys feature R.I.S.E. program's branding that
includes "RISE PROGRAM" across the back and the program's seal on
the upper right portion of the jersey. Additionally, the R.I.S.E.
word logo is on the upper right hip of the uniform pants.

According to R.I.S.E. outreach specialist Durell
Cooper, "Sports is a very important and overlooked aspect in life
skill development for children," he said. "Sports promote a healthy
active lifestyle, boost kids' self-esteem, develop leadership
skills, discipline, accountability and gets [youth] familiar with
goal-setting. Mental health also ties in first-hand with suicide
prevention. Sports can definitely be labeled as a protective factor
when it comes to suicide prevention, because sports promote
positive behavior and coping skills."

Cooper's own football experiences in the Anadarko area
include Mighty Mite Football, Anadarko Middle School, Riverside
Indian School, and Anadarko High School. He also started three
years on the Haskell Indian Nations University football team.

For Cooper, the promotion of sports is in line with
R.I.S.E. achieving its goals of suicide prevention in the 10-24 age
range.

"By working and investing in these groups, we are
developing a new relationship with programs that can better help us
reach these kids in a new and unique way," he said. "We are
spreading program awareness, education, creating a larger safety
net and a more connected community for our youth and programs."